Latest California Healthline Stories
The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday by voice vote approved the fiscal year 2006 Science, State and Justice appropriations bill, which includes an amendment favored by supporters of prescription drug reimportation that would prohibit trade agreements with provisions that require enforcement of patent protections for medications, CongressDaily reports.
DOJ Requests $10B Penalty Rather Than Anticipated $130B in Tobacco Racketeering Case
Department of Justice attorneys on Tuesday “abruptly upset” the department’s civil lawsuit against several large U.S. tobacco companies when during closing arguments they announced that the government no longer is asking for the anticipated penalty of $130 billion to fund smoking-cessation programs, the Washington Post reports.
Increased Riverside County Budget Includes Funds for Health Care Programs
Riverside County officials on Monday proposed a $3.4 billion budget for fiscal year 2005-2006, including $128.5 million for health and welfare services, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Grassley Could Boycott Federal Medicaid Study Commission
Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) might opt not to nominate congressional members to the new Medicaid study commission, according to a Republican Senate committee aide, The Hill reports.
46% of U.S. Residents Affected by Mental Illness During Lifetime, Survey Says
About 46% of U.S. residents have experienced a mental illness at some point in their lives and about 26% experienced a mental illness in the previous year, according to a survey of nearly 10,000 U.S. adults funded by NIH, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Sacramento Bee Profiles California Endowment
The Sacramento Bee on Monday profiled the California Endowment, “one of the state’s richest health care foundations and an influential force in the Capitol,” with more than $3 billion in assets.
Leavitt Formally Announces Health Care Information Technology Advisory Panel, Initiatives
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Monday at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference in New York formally announced that he will appoint a 17-member advisory panel made up of members from public and private entities to guide the development of national electronic health records systems, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Belshe Asks Legislators To Consider Schwarzenegger Proposal To Fund West Nile Virus Prevention
Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Kim Belshe on Monday asked legislators to reconsider a vote that would reduce by 75% a proposed funding increase to address West Nile virus prevention, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Editorials, Opinion Piece Address Supreme Court Decision on Medical Marijuana
California Healthline compiles reaction from newspapers to Monday’s Supreme Court ruling that medical marijuana is not legal under federal law.
Department of Justice Opinion Limits Prosecution of HIPAA Medical Privacy Rule Criminal Violations
Penalties for criminal violations of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act medical privacy rule apply to providers and health insurers but might not apply to their employees or others, according to a June 1 Department of Justice opinion that “sharply limits the government’s ability to prosecute people for criminal violations” of the regulation, the New York Times reports.